The Conversation

DOJ probes Biden document handling – what is classified information, anyway?

Written by Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

What does it mean when a document is classified?Pgim/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the discovery of classified documents found in an office no longer used by President Joe Biden at a think tank in Washington, D.C.

There are superficial similarities linking what was described by Biden lawyers as “a...

Organ-on-a-chip models allow researchers to conduct studies closer to real-life conditions – and possibly grease the drug development pipeline

Written by Chengpeng Chen, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The lung-on-a-chip can mimic both the physical and mechanical qualities of a human lung.Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University/Flickr

Bringing a new drug to market costs billions of dollars and can take over a decade. These high monetary and time investments are both strong contributors to today’s...

The safer you feel, the less safely you might behave – but research suggests ways to counteract this tendency

Written by Jesus M. de la Garza, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University

Work-related safety precautions can lead to riskier behaviors on the job.TerryJ/E+ via Getty Images

Interventions designed to keep people safe can have hidden side effects. With an increased perception of safety, some people are more likely to take risks.

For example, some vehicle drivers take more risks when they are buckled up in a...

China now publishes more high-quality science than any other nation -- should the US be worried?

Written by Caroline Wagner, Milton & Roslyn Wolf Chair in International Affairs, The Ohio State University

In 2022, Chinese researchers published more scientific papers on artificial intelligence than any other nation.Mf3D/E+ via Getty Images

By at least one measure, China now leads the world in producing high-quality science. My research shows that Chinese scholars now publish a larger fraction of the top 1% most cited scientific papers globally than...

30 years on, Czechoslovakia's 'velvet divorce' is not a model for Scottish independence from the UK

Written by Kieran Williams, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Drake University

Scottish independence has its supporters -- as did that of Slovakia.Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images

Had Scottish nationalists got their way, 2023 would have seen the country head to the polls in a second referendum over independence from the United Kingdom – and they might have won. Whereas the first attempt in 2014 resulted in 55%...

Remote work has made developing relationships with colleagues harder – here's what workers and bosses need now

Written by Mark A. Clark, Associate Professor of Management, American University Kogod School of Business

With a greater reliance on remote workers, how can people forge good relationships at work? Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Having good relationships with colleagues is key to building a rewarding and effective work experience. Employees who are engaged with their co-workers, such as reporting “a best friend at work” in Gallu...

God and guns often go together in US history – this course examines why

Written by Joseph P. Slaughter, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Religion and History and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Guns and Society, Wesleyan University

Views on guns are intertwined with views on God for many Americans.RichLegg/E+ via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“God and Guns: the History of Faith and Firearms in America”

What prompted the idea for the course?

As a...

Human actions created the Salton Sea, California's largest lake – here's how to save it from collapse, protecting wild birds and human health

Written by Robert Glennon, Regents Professor Emeritus and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy Emeritus, University of Arizona

Exposed lakebed at the Salton Sea on Dec. 29, 2022.RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

The Salton Sea spreads across a remote valley in California’s lower Colorado Desert, 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the Mexican border. For birds migrating along the Pacific coast, it’s an avian Grand Central Station. In...

Islamic paintings of the Prophet Muhammad are an important piece of history – here's why art historians teach them

Written by Christiane Gruber, Professor of Islamic Art, University of Michigan

A painting showing the Prophet Muhammad raising his hands in prayer while standing on the Mountain of Light in Mecca.Siyer-i Nebi (Biography of the Prophet), Istanbul, Ottoman lands, 1595-96. Topkapı Palace Library, Istanbul, H. 1222, fol. 158v. Photograph by Hadiye Cangökçe.

Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, recently...

How to unlock your creativity – even if you see yourself as a conventional thinker

Written by Lily Zhu, Assistant Professor of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship, Washington State University

People engage in creative thinking every day, whether they realize it or not.Ekaterina Chizhevskaya/iStock via Getty Images

Do you think that creativity is an innate gift? Think again.

Many people believe that creative thinking is difficult – that the ability to come up with ideas in novel and interesting ways graces only some talented...